Designed by the legendary Chuck Paine, the Bowman 48 was the largest of his designs built in Britain by Rival Bowman Yachts in Southampton. Bowman Yachts produced the Bowman 48 from the early 1990s until 1998 when it was merged with Rival Yachts to form Rival Bowman Yachts, which was then acquired in 2002 by Rustler Yachts, which continued to offer the model. Blending the talents of Chuck Paine with the hundreds of years of shipbuilding talents that were born in England led to great designs and high quality. Some 30 years ago, some of the very best and biggest ocean sailing vessels were created/built in England, it was Camper Nicholson, Oyster and Rival Bowman which grew into Rustler.
The Bowman 48 was outfitted with several state-of-the-art features from the hand of Chuck Paine, including the highly successful Paine Keel, with its efficient bulb-ended endplate, and beautiful interior joinery. Relatively fast compared to other designs of the era, it has a kind motion, good stability, and a forgiving helm. The design was optimized from the outset, incorporating all the necessary gear, tankage, and more, so the Bowman 48 was capable of sailing with all needed cruising gear from the beginning. As such, she cruises excellently offshore, and in a lighter, coastal trim, the Bowman 48 sails even better.
The deck features an integral pilothouse, which offers commanding views from the galley and nav station and avoids the cramped feeling that can result from a traditional low-house design. The Bowman 48 is CE Rated A for unlimited ocean service.
A total of 11 Bowman 48s were produced as a semi-custom bluewater design, offered in both aft cockpit and center cockpit configurations. The Bowman 48 is considered one of the finest British-built yacht designs ever made. They are known for being safe, comfortable, and fast yachts capable of extended bluewater cruising.
"TACK" was built as one of the last few Bowman 48s and was finished to an excellent standard. She is a traditional aft-cockpit design with a forward-facing nav station, a very large galley and saloon for the size and era, two cabins, and two heads, plus a large workshop/mechanical room. There is easy access to all of TACK's mechanical equipment, plumbing, electrical systems, and tankage.
Under prior ownership TACK placed first out of around 200 yachts in the 2003 ARC Rally, and a sistership won line honors in the same event years later.
The seller purchased TACK during COVID in the winter of 2021, where she was on the hard in Antigua. A skilled yachtsman and tradesman in the marine industry, he proceeded to commission an extensive refit of the yacht's systems and cosmetics. Working day in and day out, virtually every system was taken apart and serviced, and in most cases, directly replaced with new, state-of-the-art equipment. With the heavy lifting done, the seller then delivered TACK to the Chesapeake Bay, where more detailed work was completed by traditional tradesmen on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, some of the best in the industry.
Changing circumstances have forced the seller to put TACK on the market in a nearly complete state after the refit, save for the re-installation or replacement of some ancillary bluewater cruising equipment. A complete list of refit items is available in the full specifications.
The interior of the Bowman 48 Aft Cockpit was designed by Chuck Paine to accommodate a cruising couple with luxury, open spaces, and a welcoming environment for extended living aboard. The modern, large raised pilothouse windows create an open and bright interior with excellent views all around, perfect for island cruising. These windows were all replaced, along with the headliner. While replacing the windows, the old teak veneer around them was replaced and painted white, creating a more contemporary aesthetic and brightening the interior even more. The interior teak, most of which was also removed to gain access to all her hoses and electrical systems, has been finished in a soft satin finish. All her fabrics and cushions have been replaced. TACK's teak and holly sole was also removed and refinished.
Galley
From the base of the companionway, you find yourself in the extra-large galley, perfect for a gourmet onboard chef. The large counters are new Corian with built-in fiddles to help keep dishes from rolling off in a seaway. The new double basin, below-counter stainless steel sink with a pull-out faucet is well suited in the middle of the counter. The new Force10 4-burner stove and oven is gimbaled and fitted so that the person in the galley is cocooned between the opposite counter. This makes it easy to brace yourself in ocean swells. Storage is plentiful under the counter, and there are several drawers and compartments to store dishes and provisions. There is a built-in top-loading deep freezer and a front-loading refrigerator with new compressors and plates, and another deep storage locker that could easily be retrofitted to house a newer drawer-type refrigerator if desired. Under the galley is access to the engine, with removable panels on the front, sides, and under the drawers of the counter above.
Mechanical Room
Just aft of the galley, on the port side, is the workshop/mechanical room. The generator, a Fischer Panda 8kw with 214 hours, is the centerpiece, making it easily accessible for maintenance. Mounted on the inboard bulkhead is the AC switchboard. There are several storage compartments, great for equipment, tools, and spare parts.
Guest Cabin
On the starboard side of the companionway is the guest cabin. This is fitted with a double-sized berth, several storage lockers, and a hanging locker. There is en suite access to the day head, located just forward. The day head is also accessed from the galley. This is a wet head but is very well appointed and updated with a new Corian vanity that matches the galley.
Nav Station
Next up, also on starboard, is the traditional forward-facing nav station. The chart table is large, with an opening desk and several drawers. From here, you have access to the DC switchboard and navigation electronics.
Saloon
In the saloon is a large U-shaped dinette to port with an equally large table that has two opening leaves and a built-in liquor locker. Under the settee are two large storage lockers and a freshwater tank. There is also access to the bilge sump under the settee. Additional storage is behind the settee on the outboard side and in lockers above, including a bookshelf. Built into the lockers is a hideaway sea berth cot. On the starboard side, there are two large hanging lockers, storage compartments, a large drawer, and access to the 16k BTU air conditioner.
Master Cabin
Up forward is the master cabin, which is nicely appointed with an en suite private head with a separate shower. There is a desk/vanity with a mirror and built-in seat. The double-sized berth is offset to port.
Cockpit
Nav Station
Other
The Bowman 48 has been long recognized by the British yachting establishment as being the finest British built design ever offered to the conservative long distance sailor. She came about in response to the success of our Bowman 40, of which some 60 beautiful examples have been built since its introduction in the late 1980's. Those are small numbers to the mass production crowd, but indicative of a wonderful response by the high end yachtsmen who prefer a customized vessel and are willing to bear the attendant higher costs. Ten Bowman 48's are now cruising the world's oceans and with the acquisition of the molds by Rustler Yachts of Falmouth there are surely more to come.
This design is an excellent representative of the more traditional design style which we have always specialized in at our office. The process is to select an aesthetic treatment that is timeless in its appeal, and to combine that shape with fully modern appendages, such as the highly successful Paine Keel with its efficient bulbed endplate, and updated interior treatments. While such a design will never approach the speeds of Bermuda Series types, they are fast in comparison with traditionally styled yachts of a few years ago, and have a lovely motion and forgiving steering and stability characteristics at sea.
The design is completely optimized with all of the necessary gear, tankage, etc. to begin world cruising immediately after launch. In this way, the potential embarrassments of designing for weekend coasting and then adding the weights necessary for a round the world voyage are eliminated. Even the generator is included in the standard design and sales package and the yacht sails brilliantly with full cruising equipment, because she was designed with these weights in mind from day one.
The deck features an integral pilothouse which permits large windows to be fitted in order to avoid the cramped feeling that can result from the conventional low house. The feeling of light and air that results is wonderful, as can be easily discerned from the accompanying photo. All of the long distance cruiser's needs are anticipated, and owners may be assured that the deck fittings are oversize for their loads, and the bow roller adequate for the oversize anchors that he is liable to fit aboard what is in most instances his home for the duration of the voyage.
A long and cordial relationship has existed between Bowman Yachts and the Paine office. Rustler Yachts' Bowman 48 is EC certified for unlimited ocean service and will take you anywhere your heart desires in safety, comfort, and at excellent speed.
Listing MLS by Yachtr.com
